Congo (DRC) Life and Travel Guide

Congo is located in western Africa. The capital is 600 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the three most backward countries in Africa. It is full of sand and geology, so my first impression here is that there is a lot of dust on the road and white garbage is everywhere.

I feel that the climate and environment are better than in China. There are no spring, summer, autumn and winter here, only rainy seasons and dry seasons. The rainy season usually runs from November to May of the following year, and it basically rains every 2-3 days. The rainy season is also the highest temperature here, which is contrary to the temperature in China. Especially during the Spring Festival, when it snows in China, you wear short sleeves here, so the temperature in the rainy season is generally between 25 and 40 degrees. Although the temperature is high, you still have to cover yourself with a thin quilt at night. Simply put, the temperature difference is large. There is basically no rain here during the dry season. At most, there will be two light rains. If people from China come here in summer, it happens to be the dry season, giving people the feeling that they are here to escape the heat. The dry season here is just like autumn in China. The leaves are slowly beginning to fall, and occasionally the sea breeze blows, so you still need to wear thin coats here, especially when riding in the morning and at night. A thicker coat. The most comfortable feeling is that there is basically no sun during the dry season, but although the sun cannot be seen, the ultraviolet rays are still very strong, so it will not be long for China people to turn dark here, but don't worry, as long as you don't go out for half a month, it will turn white again.

One of the most worrying concerns before coming here was the security here. What I searched for on the website was news such as wars and riots here. However, after I arrived here, I realized that these concerns were completely unnecessary. People here would greet us with "hello" in Chinese whenever they saw us. The police also have considerable respect for the Chinese. It can be said that the public security here is better than in China. No one has ever blocked the water pipes and cables we cut during construction. Sometimes we don't have to worry about compensation when we run into other people's houses. However, there are a lot of thieves here, and it can be said that they are everywhere. Therefore, as long as it is a company in China, there are local police guarding the door, and we even hire police to take care of machinery and equipment on construction sites.

The second most worrying thing is the disease here. You may have heard of malaria here before you came here. In fact, 95% of China people who have been here have been infected, but it is like a cold here. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a cold is malaria. If this disease is not treated, it will definitely kill you. However, if you come with the unit, you don't have to worry, because the unit has team doctors who can treat it in a timely manner. However, the best precaution here is to try not to go to places where the poor live. I believe you can imagine those places without saying anything. Also, don't eat food eaten by local people, and don't drink raw water.

The third most worrying thing is mosquitoes. Many people mistakenly think that there are particularly many mosquitoes here. In fact, I think they are much fewer than in summer in China. Similarly, like in China, they are divided into regions and seasons. Different regions and seasons are very different, but the mosquitoes here are much more toxic than those in China. Generally, places with few residents have more mosquitoes but very small. On the contrary, places with many residents have very few mosquitoes but very toxic, and they are prone to malaria. Therefore, people who come here must bring mosquito nets. During the day, like in China, there are basically no mosquitoes, and mosquito nets are mainly used for sleeping.

The

told you this. Let me talk about the people here. The people here are basically black. 20% can speak English and 60% can speak French. However, the most common thing they speak is Linginan. The people here are basically kind at heart, mainly because they go to church every week to brainwash them, so they have to say hello to everyone when they see them, usually shaking hands and hugging; In China, if a girl is suddenly stopped by a strange man, which girl will definitely shout, but this situation is very natural here. They can communicate naturally like ordinary friends, because men here never have the idea of molesting girls, nor will they force girls to do anything. In contrast, our men in China really need to learn from the men here; You will also see many men walking on the street holding hands here. If they were in China, they would definitely think they were gay, but they are not gay. When I first arrived here, I was pulled away by a male supervisor. I felt particularly embarrassed at the time, but now I am used to it. I am often called father by people much older than me. Hehe, later I learned that it is a respectful title for men, so Chinese people who first arrived here need some time to adapt to the etiquette here.

Of course, there are also a lot of foreigners here. According to my knowledge, there are more than 20,000 people in China. There are also tens of thousands of troops from the United Nations, Americans, Japanese, Koreans, Belgians, French, etc., so foreigners can be seen everywhere on the streets and in large supermarkets. Maybe this is the reason why the US dollar can circulate here, but there is also their own currency here, which is Konran. Generally, 1 US dollar =900 Konran. Compared with 1 US dollar =6.84 yuan in China, the wages of ordinary workers here are generally only 1000 - 2,500 francs a day, but the prices here are terrifyingly expensive. A bottle of purified water is 1000 francs, a bottle of beer is 1200 francs, a pound of green vegetables is 1300 francs, and even an ordinary bread costs 300 - 500 francs. Many people are not enough to eat a full meal in one day. This is the reason why this place is poor. However, no one wants RMB here, so I suggest you exchange all RMB into US dollars before boarding the plane, otherwise the RMB you bring will be waste paper!

People who first arrived here are worried about the high prices here. In fact, there are many things that can be brought from China when they come. The weight of checked baggage by an airplane is 70 kilograms. In order to avoid everyone bringing unnecessary things, I would like to make the following suggestions based on my personal experience: 1. 1 set of thin quilt, 1 electric fan, and 1 bed of mosquito net. The company will usually send it to come with people. These are must-have. You can't buy China quilts here. There are imported quilts but they are not ordinary expensive; 2. The clothes are generally available according to summer requirements. If you want to stay here for 2 years, you need 4 short-sleeved T-shirts; 2 long shirts; 4 pairs of casual pants or thinner jeans; 6 pairs of underpants; 20 pairs of socks (If it's a pair of socks, you need at least 80 pairs); 1 to 2 thinner tops (Add it when it is cold in the dry season, but not thick. It is better to have a single layer, such as camouflage clothes); 1 pair of slippers (if you are not enough, you can buy it here); 2 pairs of shoes (Shoes usually buy the best sports shoes. There are China stores that can buy them here. It is recommended not to carry too many shoes, because you can't carry too many shoes); 2 spare belts; 2 sets of towels and toothpaste are enough, because the company generally needs to distribute them; 1 large bottle of shampoo (If you don't have enough, you can buy it here); soap, washing powder and toilet paper are not needed to be distributed by the unit; mosquito coils are not needed because they don't work, and the unit will usually do anti-mosquito work; 3. 1 spare bag (You have to carry some belongings in your satchel when you go out here); if you are doing technology, you need to bring a computer and a camera (You don't have to bring it because many of your colleagues have it); 2 mobile phones (When buying two, one is usually for making phone calls and the other for surfing the Internet. However, another reason for buying a smart phone for surfing the Internet is that it may be stolen by thieves at any time, so it is better to bring two for insurance); 1 large-capacity water cup (Bring water before going out every day, it's best to buy 1.5 liters); 4. You must bring US dollars, but the unit here generally pays a little pocket money every month. It's best to bring RMB without waste paper here; You don't need to bring medicines because the unit is equipped with doctors and medicines, but if you have a special disease, you must bring special medicines; It's best to bring some special snacks from China. You can buy them in other supermarkets here. Besides, no matter how much you bring, you have to eat them all. As long as you have money, there are still many varieties of imported snacks here; Generally speaking, you must buy good quality goods when you go out. However, if the quality is not good, you might as well buy parallel goods from China stores when you come here. Large supermarkets run by foreigners here generally have relatively complete products, but we rarely buy them. Last time we went to buy a pair of pants, we saw that it was a China brand, but when we saw the price, it was 120 US dollars, which is at most more than 100 RMB in China. So I can bring it with me, and don't worry if I forget to bring it!